Blind Guardian’s Debut “Battalions Of Fear” Hits 30 Years (1988-2018)

Before I get started on this latest album anniversary or “music milestone” as we’ve been apt to refer to them, I must admit that way back in the days of 1988, I was NOT listening to the band Blind Guardian at all and the same applies for a lot of bands from this region of the world. We are still going to raise a goblet of our favorite drink in honor of the birthday of their debut album “Battalions Of Fear” which came out care of No Remorse Records on this very day thirty years ago. Fans of Blind Guardian who might have come on board over the last dozen years or so ago love them for the polished and exciting Power Metal that they are true masters of. Given my lack of overall background on the debut itself, I’ll be deferring readers to the official Wikipedia entry at the close

Having referenced the bands acumen as Power Metal leaders, it might surprise some of you to learn that this was not at all how the band started out. When you begin to give a listen to “Battalions Of Fear” you find instead a fast-paced, more Speed Metal meets Thrash Metal type of release. In 1988 I can honestly say that Blind Guardian had more in common with the likes of Metallica and Exodus or even Anvil in terms of how the drumming and frenzied riffs were being laid down. It was interesting to me for sure because in 1988 I was really focused on more of the US Metal, even though I did have a few bands from that side of the pond that I enjoyed quite a bit. “Majesty” rips you a new one while “Guardian Of The Blind” has some awesome layers to it and drumming that made me bang my head while I was composing this toast. Believe me that is not easy to do when you are trying to type. “Trial By The Archon” reminded me a lot of the vibe that early Iron Maiden had to them and perhaps this short instrumental number was designed to be an homage of the Brits. “Wizard’s Crown” continues the same vibe and there is a strong cohesion to the full release. The members of the band for the debut are of course singer Hansi Kursch who was also on bass at the time. Andre Olbrich was on lead guitar and Marcus Siepen on rhythm while Thomas “Thomen” Stauch played drums
I’ll stop here because as I said, I was a newbie and only really even listened to the debut a few years ago. I got into Blind Guardian very late with their fifth album “Imaginations From The Other Side” but the tardiness didn’t deter me from supporting them whenever possible in the live sense when they came to this region. Let’s take a look at the original albums tracks in the list below and for good measure I’ve even added the stuff that would be included as the bonus tracks.

Track Listing:
1. Majesty
2. Guardian of the Blind
3. Trial by the Archon
4. Wizard’s Crown
5. Run for the Night
6. The Martyr
7. Battalions of Fear
8. By the Gates of Moria

Of the original eight tunes which ones spoke to your Metal psyche the loudest? You can fill me in once we’re done with this summary. In today’s musical world, Blind Guardian is signed to Nuclear Blast Records and has been there for numerous releases. 2017 saw the remastering of most of their early catalog and the inclusion of some tasty bonus tracks and this is the one that I have linked to with our Amazon.com code down below. I think it would be impossible to locate a copy of an original LP of this one or even the first CD’s – Kudos if you have them of course. I still need to get myself copies of these remasters as I am tired of listening to them only on Spotify. I should mention that the bonus tracks that you see above are actually the bands original demo tracks and those are nice to have. Closing up let me extend congratulations to the guys in Blind Guardian for their debut anniversary and more importantly for morphing your sound into something extraordinary as your career kept growing. You have remained one of the most influential and inspiring Power Metal bands for years, even though you didn’t start out that way. Probst!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this milestone and especially if you are one of those listeners who could be considered a leader for the band. I’m meaning that you were the one who picked this album up off the shelves and played it for your friends and made them curious. Of course, if the album is just a special one to you or the band I’d love for your two cents to be added as well. We sure have the space since this is the Internet and all